Tile cleaning and stacking machine and method



April 20,1926. 1,581,774

E. W. ZEH

TILE CLEANING AND STACKING MACHlNE AND METHOD Filed S e p t. 24.1924 4Sheets-Sheet 1 l 1: \1 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS April 20 1926. 1,581,774

E. w. ZEH

TILE CLEANING AND STACKING MACHINE AND METHOD Filed Sept. 24. 1924 I 4Sheets-Sheet 2 Q INVENTOR ZE mzzna 1% 219% ATTORNEYS April 20 1926.

E. W. LEH

TILE CLEANING AND STACKING MACHINE :AND METHOD 4 sheets-sheet s FiledSept. 24. 1924 IVNVENTOR wade 1 ATTORNEY;

R bx l I 1.! 1| 0 a. II... II I April 20 192s. 1,581,774

. E. W. ZEH

TILE CLEANING AND STACKING MACHINE AND METHOD Filed Sept. 24. 1922; 4Sheets-Sheet 4 NT 2 W f/ f/ I l I lll f 1Z0 50 1 I!) 11; I 3 r 1 i v 1,1 Z6 I M.) a H I v I 7 I 01 ,U

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ii 329 g7 7 n g I I (4 Cr- 55 W I 1 INVENTOR .ZZ/mzzwJ/l Z" 1 ATTORNEYSPatented Apr. 20, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDMUND w. znn, or NEWARK, NEW JnnsnY'.

I TILE CLEANING AND STACKING MAoHnvn AND METHOD.

Application filed September 24, 1924 serial 1x01739541.

To all trim/n, 'itmag concern/ 1 Be it known that I, EDMUND VVLZnr-I, acitizen of the United States, and a resident of Newark, in the county ofEssex and State of New Jersey, have inventednew and useful Improvementsin Tile Cleaning and Stacking Machines and Methods, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates in general to machines and methods for handlingfloor and wall tile and more particularly to a machine for expeditingthe removal of tile from the press forming the same.

The handling machine of the present invention is similar in principleand construc tion to that described in my copending application filedJuly 21, 1922, Serial No. 576,- i

469 which has become Patent 1,545,225. Tile as they are discharged froma tile press frequently pick up ontheir bottom sides and edges, loosedust which should be removed before the tile are fired or baked.Furthermore, the tile cannot be stacked until this surplus dust isremoved because the dust on the bottom of one tile would adhere to thetop of the next'lower tile in a stack and thereby spoil the lower tileor require another operation. to remove the surplus dust. It will beunderstood that the tile after they are discharged from the tile pressare fragile, consisting of slightly moist dust and being formed only bythe pressure incident to the dies of the press, so that the tile must begently handled to avoid breaking or otherwise injuring them.

One object ofthe present invention is to provide in a machine forcollecting and arranging tile in stacks, means for removing "the surplusloose dust on the tile before the tile are subjected to the glazing andfiring operations.

Another object is to provide such a machine to receive tile immediatelyfrom a tile press and successively automatically remove the surplusloose dust and arrange the tile in stacks for further handling.

Other objects are to provide a machine of the character described whichcan be used interchangeably with a number of tile presses to recive tiledirectly therefrom; to provide novel and improved means for adjustingthe tile cleaning and sticking mechanism relatively to a tile press soas to receive tile directly from the die of the press as they aredicharged by a dust-box or the like; v to provide such a machineincluding a guidethe following description;

way to receive tile from a press and having means in the bottomthereofover which the tile passso that'the loose dust is removed fromthe tile auton'iatically as they pass from the press; tov provide amachine of this character embodying novel and i1n-.

proved, simple and inexpensive features of construction and to obtain Iother results and advantages as may be brought out by I n l u lxeferringto the accompanying drawings,

in which the same reference characters designate corresponding and likeparts throughout the several views,

"Figure 1 is a side elevation of a tile stacking machine embodying theinvention;

--Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 2-2 ofFigure1;

Figure 3 is arr-enlarged top plan View of the tile stacking machine; I

Figured is a longitudinal vertical sec tional view through the headportion of the machine Figure 5 is a fragmentary top plan view of thetlle-receivmg end of; the head of the tile stacking machine; a

t Figure 6 is a detached perspective view a of the pneumatic nozzle forremoving dust from the tile; I

Figure 7 1s a transverse vertical sectional view through thehead'portion of the machine;

Flgure 8 1s a transverse sectional view taken on the line 8-8 ofFigure3;

Figure 9 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 9-9of Figure 3;

Figure 10 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on the line10-'-10 of Figure 3, and

Figure 11 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view showing the mannerof stacking the tile on the tile-receiving table.

For the purpose of" illustrating the principles of my invention I haveshown the tile stacking machine used in connection with a well-knowntype of tile press for producing tile, comprising a base portion A, alower die member B .and an upper die member C reciprocable on guides Dmounted in the base to cooperate with the lower die in forming the tile.i

The tile stacking machine comprises a pedestal 1 having an enlarged baseprovided with slots 3 to receive bolts 4 for securing the pedestal to afloor or other support, the slots 3 permitting adjustment of the base.The upper end of the pedestal is provided with a coaxial socket 5 toreceive.

a pivot boss 6 on the bottom of a head"? 'whereby said headisverticallyand rotatably The pedestal is provided with set screw 8 forengaging.

adjustable on the pedestal.

' The head has secured thereto a pair of ver- 'tical frame pieces 10which are arranged in spaced relation transversely of the head andsupport at their upper ends a guideway for receiving tile.

The said guideway comprisesspaced and parallel horizontal side pieces 11secured to the upper ends of the transverse frame pieces 10 in anysuitable manner as by screws 101. The guideway is provided with a bottomformed in two sections 12' and 13,"one of which is movable ordisplaceable. 1 The movable section, in the present'instance the section12, is mounted in grooves 111 formed on the inner faces of the sidepieces 11, and

is preferably of a length to support a number of tile corresponding tothat formed by the tile press in one operation. An end piece 14 issecured to the side pieces 11 at the end of the guideway carrying themovable bottom section, said end piece permitting the movable bottomsection to slide beneath it and limiting movement of the tile with saidmovable section in one direction longitudinally of the guideway Thesection 12 is provided with a handle 120 at its outer end whereby it maybe slid lo'igitudinally of the guidcway. A plural ty of partitions 110extend longitudinally of the guideway above the bottom thereof so as toform passages for a: plurality of rows of tile as clearly indicated inFigures 3 and 7.

The other section 13 of the bottom of the guideway comprises a pluralityof spaced rollers 15 mounted between frame pieces 16 slidably mounted ingrooves 17 in the side pieces 11, whereby said rollers and the framepieces may be removed from the side pieces 11. These rollers may be ofany suitable construction, but in the present instance are in the formof hollow tubes having plugs 18 fitted in their ends and revolublymounted upon pins 20 secured in the frame pieces 16.

The length of the section 13 substantially corresponds to that of thesection 12 so*'as to receive the same number of tile, and the sidepieces 11 are connected at the outer ends of the section 13 with a crosspiece 21 which also closes the grooves 17 Intermediate the bottomsections 12 and v 13 of the guideway and transversely thereof 23 withthe upper surface thereof substanmember B of the press tially flush withthe upper surface of the movable section 12 of the guideway and the topsides of the rollers 15. The nozzle is formed with a plurality ofopenings 24 spaced transverselyoftheguideway and all slots?) to bringthe crosspiece 21 substantially into engagen'i'ent. with the lower d'ieThehead of the machine is then adjusted by means of the set screws Sand9 to bring. the bottom ofthe guideway substantially flush with the topof the die member B, as clearly shown in Figure 4. The verticaladjustment. may be made by rotation of the set screw 9, and any rotativeadjustment by means of the set screw 8. With the stacking machine thusarranged, the tile as they are discharged from the die member B of thepress by the usual dust box or the like, will be pushed upon the rollers15. As the tile are pushed over the rollers, it will be observed that arocking action of the tiles Willbe produced which will tend to forciblydisplace surplus dust adhering to the edges and bottoms of the tile, therollers rotating to permit easy passage-of the tile and to accentuatethe rocking action thereof. 3 After one batch of tile have beenpositioned upon the rollers 15, the next batch of tile which isdischarged. from the press will force the first-mentioned batch onto themovable section 12 of .the guideway and the second-mentionedbatch willbe posi tioncd upon the rollers .15.. As the firstmentioned batch oftile passes from the rollers to the section 12 of the guideway, it

must pass over the nozzle 22, and the suction therethrough tends toremove any surplus dust on the bottoms of. the tile which may not havebeen displaced by the movement of the tile over the rollers 15. .Thus,the conjoint action oft-he rollers 15 and the nozzle 22 will serve toremove substantially all loose dust from allof the-tile.

A vertically movable table 30 is arranged beneath the movable section 12of the guideway and is mounted at opposite sides thereof on rack bars 31vertically movable in bearings 32 formed on thehead 7 and provided withmovable cover plates 33 for closing thebearings and holding the rackbars against lateral movement therein.

A shaft 34 is journa-led transversely of til) ill)

' bearings 32 of the rack bars.

spaced relation at one end of a lever 42 pivotally mounted intermediateits ends, as at 43, to the cover plate 33 of one of the bearings 32 forone of the rack bars 31. The end of the lever 42 opposite the pawls 40and 41 projects vertically upward to a point adjacent the side pieces 11of the guideway and is provided with an opening 44 to slidably receive arod 45 carried by the movable section 12 of the bottom of the guideway.The action of gravity on the table 30 tends to rotate the shaft 34 inthe direction indicated by the arrow on Figure 1, but one of the pawls40 or 41 is normally in engagement with the ratchet disk 39 to hold theshaft against such rotation. The rod 45 is provided at opposite sides ofthe lever 42 with adjustable abutments 46 and 47 so that when themovable section 12 of the guideway is moved in one direction theabutment 46 engages the lever 42 and oscillates the same in onedirection to release the pawl 40 from the ratchet disk 39 and when saidmovable section 12 is moved in the opposite direction the abutment 47engages the lever 42 to release the pawl 41 from the ratchet disk 39. Inthis operation, one of'the pawls 40 or 41 releases the ratchet disk 39to permit rotation of the shaft 34 andthe other of said pawls engagesthe said ratchet disk to stop said vrotation of the shaft. The relationof the pawls 40 and 41 with the ratchet disk 39 and the pinions 35 andrack bars 31 is prefe erably such that the table 30 descends a distanceequal to substantially one-half the thickness of the tile upon eachmovement tion of the table and the bottom of the 'guideway, the rackbars 35 may be provided at their ends with adjustable collars 48 toengage the ends .of the respective The top of the table 30 is preferablyin the form of a removable plate 49 provided with a handle 50. r j

To stack the tile, after a batch of tile has been placed on the section12 of the guideway, as hereinbefore described, said section is pulledoutwardly from the guideway by the o'perator grasping. the handle 120,as indicated in dotted lines on Figure 4, and the tile on the saidsection will then fall by gravity onto the plate 49 on. the table 30,movement of the tile'with the movable section of the bottom beingprevented by the end piece'14. When the said movable section is pulledto its outward limit the adjustable abutment 47 actuatesthe lever 42 inone direction so that the table 30 is permitted to drop a distance equalto onehalf the thickness of the tile, and when the movable section ofthe bottom is returned toits normal position the abutment 46 ac- 1tuates the lever 42in the opposite direction to permit the table 30 toagain drop a-distance equal to one-half of the thickness of the tile.This operation isperformed each time a batch of tile is positioned onthe movable section 12 of the guideway, and each batch of tile is thusdeposited upon the next preceding batch so asto stack the tileor arrangethem insuperposed layers. The tops of the ,uppermostftile are alwaysspaced from the bottom'of the guideway as the movable section 12 ispushed'back to its normal position, so that there is no danger of thesaid movable section injuring the tile. It will be obvious that thecapacity of the table 30 may be varied as desired, but in the presentinstance the table is adaptedto support ten layers of tile eachincluding forty-eight tile, In other words, the table supportsforty-eight stacks each including ten tile. After the table is filled toits capacity, the operator removes the plate 49 with the tile thereonand conveys the tile to the next desired place. The table 30 is thenreturned to its normal position, and for this purpose I'may provide theshaft 34 with a hand wheel or lever 51. To elevate the table it is thusmerely necessary to rotate the hand wheel in a direction oping machinein such a manner as to disarrange the stacked tile or break or chip thetile. Further, all loose dust accumulated on the tile during theirpassage from the press is automatically removedwithoutg in any mannerimpeding the stacking operation. 9 i

While I have shown and described a tile stacking machineembodyingcertain details of construction, it will be understood thatthis is only'for the purpose. of illustrating the principles of theinvention andthatfthe invention may-be utilized for stackingorhandlingother articles andobjects, Also, many modifications and changescan be made in the-construction of the machine without departing fromthe spirit or scope of the invention, and therefore I do not wish to beunderstood as-restricting myself except as required by the followingclaims, when construed inthe light of the prior art,

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is: v 1 .7 1

1. The method of removing surplus dust from unfired tile, consisting'insuccessively shaking the tileto loosen the surplus dust thereon andpneumatically removing said dust. 1

2. The method of removing surplus dust from unfired tile, consisting insuccessively shaking the tile to loosen the surplus dust thereon andsubjecting. the tile to suction.

3. The method of removing surplus dust from unfired tile, consisting inshaking or jarring the tile to loosen the dust and remove a portionthereof by action of gravity and then pneumatically removing the"remainder of thedust.

4:. A machine for removing surplus dust from unfired tile, comprisingaguideway through which the tile are moved, means for shaking or jarringsaid tile as they move through said :guideway to loosen the surplusdust, andpneumatic means for -acting upon said tileafter the dust hasbeen so loosened to remove said dust. I v.

5. A machine for removnig surplus dust from unfired tile, comprising aguideway through which the tile are moved, means for shaking or jarringsaid tile as they move through said guideway to loosen the surplus dust,and a pneumatic means including a nozzle opening'through the walls ofsaid guideway'to remove. the dust from said tile as they are vmovedpastsaid nozzle.

3 6. A machine for removing surplus dust 1 from unfired tile, comprisinga guidevvay to receive tile directly as they are discharged from atile-press, said guideway having a portion of its bottom composed oftransversely disposed spaced andparallel rollers to first receive-thetile fromthe press, said rollers causing the tile to rock" or tilt asthey are movedjthereover to loosen the surplus dust, and a pneumaticdevice for acting upon said tile to subsequently remove dust therefromas they are moved through said guideway;

7. A machine forremoving surplus dust 'from unfired tile, comprising aguideway to receive tile directly as they are discharged from a tilepress, said guideway having a portion of its bottom composedof'transversely disposed spaced and parallel rollers from uniired tile,including a guideway.

through which thetilevare slid, and pneumatic means including a 'nozzleopening through the bottom of said guideway and over which said tilemust pass.

, S). A machine for removing surplus dust from un-iired tile which arediscl'iarged from a tile press in batches comprisinga guide way having aportion of its bottom roughenedto receive a full batch oittil'e from thepress and shake or jar the tile as they'are pushed thereover and loosenthe surplus dust thereon and neuinatic means IDClLlClIII a nozzle at thedischarge endof said portion of said guideway past which each batch fortile is moved as the next batch is discharged from the tile presswhereby the surplus dust is removed from the tile.

1.0. A machine for removing surplus dust from unfired tile whicharedischarged from a tile press in batches, comprising a guideway having aportion of its bottom to receive a full batch of tile from a tile pressand composed of transversely disposed spaced and parallel rollers overwhich the tile are pushed as they are discharged from the press.saidrollers being arranged to cause the tile to rock'or tilt so as toshake or jar I the surplus dust from the tile.

11. The combination with a tile press from which tile are forciblysuccessively discharged in a continuous row and a tile stacking machine,of a guideway ,to receive tile from said press including means forshaking or jarring the tile as they are moved through said guideway tovloosen the surplus dust thereon. said guideway alsdhaving adisplaceableportion to receive tile from said shaking or jarring means and depositsaid tile upon" said tile stacking machine, and pneumatic means betweensaid shaking or jarring means and said displaceable portion past which.each tile is moved as the next tile is discharged from the press toremove said surplus dust. from the tile, whereby each tile is movedthrough said guideway by'the next successive tile,;the surplus dustremoved and the tile deposited upon the stacking machine.

12. A tile stacking machine to receive tile directly from a tile pressfrom which tile are discharged in batches, comprising a base, a guidewaymounted on said base andv adapted to separably abut said tile press sothat tile may be pushed from said press directly into said guideway,aportion of the bottom of said iguideway at the receiving end being ofsuch size as to receive a full batch of tile and being perforated androughened to shake or jar the surplus dust from the tileas they passthereover upon discharge from the press, another portion of the bottomof'said guideway being displaceable to temporarily receive each batch oftile from said firsthaving a nozzle forming a part of the Walls of saidguideway between said roughened portion and said displaceable portion toremove surplus dust from the tile.

13. A machine for removing surplus dust from until-ed tile, including aguideWay through which the tile are slid having a portion of its bottomcomposed of a plurality of transversely disposed spaced and parallelrollers over which the tile "are pushed so that the tile are rocked ortilted to shake or jar the surplus dust thereon, a pneumatic nozzleforming another portion of the bottom of said guideway arranged at thedischarge end of the first-mentioned portion, said tile being slid oversaid nozzle as they are pushed from said rollers, and means for creatingsuction through said nozzle to remove the loose surplus dust from saidtile.

14:. A tile handling machine to receive tile directly from a tile press,comprising a base having a verticalsocket, a head adapted to separablyabut a tile press and having a pivot boss rotatably and verticallyadjustable in said socket, said head having a guidevvay to receive tilefrom said tile press, said adjusta-ble mounting of said head enablingthe] bottom of said guideway to be adjusted into proper relation to thedischarge surface of the press to permit the tile to he slid from thepress directly into said guid'evvay.

15. The method of handling uniired tile directly from a tile press,consisting in successively moving the tile from the press through apredetermined continuous path, successively shaking the tile to loosenthe surplus dust thereon and pneumatically removing said dust from saidtile as they are moved in said path, and stacking the tile at the end ofthe path.

. EDMUND W. ZEH.

